This invention is related in general to networks and more specifically relates to network architectures and accompanying systems and methods for configuring Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) networks to efficiently provide Internet Protocol (IP) services to clients connected to the UMA.
The terms UMA and Generic Access Network (GAN) are employed interchangeably herein. For the purposes of the present discussion, a UMA network or a GAN may be may be any packet-switched network that facilitates interfacing a wireless device, such as a wireless Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) client, with one or more networks that offer services usable by the wireless device. Services may be any functionality that is usable by the wireless device, such as broadband IP services involving file-transfer, VOIP, or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) functionality. Examples of wireless devices, called Mobile Stations (MSs), include wireless phones, laptops with IEEE 802.11 wireless cards, and so on.
UMA networks are employed in various demanding applications including home and business-based Short Message Services (SMS), MultiMedia Services (MMS), file transfers, voice calls, and so on. Such applications often demand UMA networks that interface wireless data networks, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.16 networks, with other networks, such as the Internet, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and cellular networks.
An exemplary UMA network includes a multimode wireless phone with UMA and cellular capabilities in communication with a wireless Access Point (AP) via WiFi. The multimode phone connects to a Security GateWay (SGW) via Internet Protocol SECurity (IPSEC) and connects to a UMA Controller (UNC) via Transmission Control Protocol (TC). which communicates with a UMA Controller (UNC). The UNC connects to a General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) network via a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN). In this example, the GPRS network connects to a cellular network and the Internet via the SGSN. The UNC employs the SGSN to facilitate routing data between the wireless phone, the cellular network, and the Internet as needed to provide desired services to the wireless phone. The UNC and the SGSN also facilitate handovers between UMA networks and other networks, such as cellular networks, as the mobile phone moves between the networks. The SGW and the UNC may employ an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server and a Home Location Register (HLR) for authentication.
Unfortunately, conventional UMA network architectures exhibit inherent traffic bottlenecks, such as at the UNC and the SGSN, which inhibit wireless clients from effectively utilizing high bandwidth afforded by use of unlicensed spectrum by UMA/GAN networks.